Movie review: The Cove -- 5 out of 5 stars

Roger MooreOrlando Sentinel Movie Critic

Taiji, Japan, has statues and murals to whales and dolphins, and even runs tour boats shaped like Flipper.

But in environmental circles, Taiji is a name that lives in infamy. It is, as activist Ric O'Barry says in the new documentary The Cove, "a little town with a really big secret." Taiji is where the locals round up dolphins, sell some to theme parks and slaughter the rest -- 23,000 a year -- calling it "pest control."

The Cove is a damning indictment of the town, its crimes and the cover-up Japan's government goes to great pains to maintain, keeping this barbaric ritual away from the eyes of even the Japanese people.It's also an edge-of-your-seat caper film. Filmmaker Louis Psihoyos of the Oceanic Preservation Society takes the audience along on a secret mission to document this horror. If they can film it, the world, even the people of Japan, will demand that it stop, or so they hope.

We know Hollywood's "caper picture" story beats by heart . The team is assembled. The quarry is "cased." The hi-tech gear is rounded up. They rehearse. And then there's the caper itself, where things never go exactly as planned.

But how might real people with specialized skills actually "steal" something that a lot of other people are determined to protect? The team follows O'Barry to Japan, where they are searched, followed and harassed every step of the way.

One person interviewed suggests this practice is Japan's last gasp of empire, showing that the country -- which still won't admit its crimes of World War II -- can still stand up to the world. They look awfully guilty doing it, though.

The Cove touches on Japan's corrupt efforts to preserve this "tradition," bribing poor island nations of the Caribbean to vote with them on the International Whaling Commission. The corruption spreads to Japan's food supply -- mislabeling mercury-tainted dolphin meat as "whale," whales Japan still claims it only kills for "research."

Do the filmmakers get their "evidence"? You'll have to see The Cove to find out if this caper comes off. The CoveFive of five starsCast: Richard O'Barry, Louis Psihoyos, Mandy-Rae CruikshankDirector: Louis PsihoyosRunning time: 1 hour 34 minutesIndustry rating: PG-13 for disturbing content.